Pentapost air handling unit casing

ABSTRACT

Pentapost type air handling unit casing comprising panels arranged side by side and perpendicularly, and side profiles embodied between the perpendicular panels and middle profiles embodied between side by side panels whereby side profiles ( 2 ) comprises at least two joined partitions having a predetermined height and width difference with respect to cross-sections thereof and the middle profiles ( 3 ) having the same thickness with the side panels are provided with steps on two opposite directions around circumference of the middle profiles ( 3 ) and self-drilling screws located inside of plastic bushings ( 10 ) for connection of the panels and side, middle profiles and gasket ( 19 ) means for air leakage between casing and surroundings thereof.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to an Air Handling Unit (AHU) Casinghousing various components for changing the air thermal conditionstherein. More particularly the present invention relates to casingelements and structure providing smooth and flat interior surfaces,eliminating the utilization of nuts inside the unit and thus serving anembodiment for easy casing assembly and maintenance and providing adecrease of heat transfer between inside and outside of the air handlingunit.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Air handling units are widely used in both comfort and industrialprocess air conditioning systems for the purposes of changing thethermal conditions of air and removing the undesired particles and odorsfrom the air. Various components such as cooling and heating coils,filters, blowers, humidifiers etc. are installed inside the air handlingunit casing to change the thermal conditions of air and in order tocirculate the air through the air handling unit casing.

[0003] The function of the air handling unit casing is to physicallyseparate the conditioned and circulated air inside the unit from theenvironment air outside and additionally to provide a protective coverfor the inner components.

[0004] Generally, air handling unit casings can be classified into twogroups which are called as frameless and pentapost casings. In aframeless air handling unit casing, panels can be directly connected toeach others, however in a pentapost casing frames provide panelconnection.

[0005] Main elements of a pentapost AHU casing are side profiles, middleprofiles, corner pieces, panels and doors. A framework is constructedfrom the side profiles and corner pieces. Joining of the side profilesto each other is performed by corner pieces. Middle profiles and panelsare connected to the side profiles in order to produce an enclosure. Theperpendicular connection of the panels is performed by side profileshowever the side by side panel connection is achieved by using middleprofiles.

[0006] The panels are produced from two separate sheet plates and aninsulation material in between. Since the air handling units come withdifferent sizes depending on the required performance and airconditioning capacity, a different number and combination of modularstandard panels are used to build each particular size of the casing.

[0007] The doors provide access to the inside of the casing formaintaining and repairing the components or for making amendments oradjustments on the system in case of necessity. The door is also made upof two separate sheet metal plates called inner and outer skins and afilling insulation material in between. The door is furnished withhinges along one side through which it is fixed to the profiles and withdoor handles on the side across, for locking the door.

[0008] With the present state of the art the construction outlines ofair handling unit casings as described above, the following problems aregenerally faced in practice:

[0009] Generally side profiles hold edges on which panels are joined.These edges reduce the beneficial height of the unit. The height of theelements must be reduced in order to be inserted to or withdrawn fromthe unit. This causes decrease of the unit elements face area andconsequently decrease of their performance.

[0010] When two sub-unit of an air handling unit are joined to eachother in order to produce a longer unit, the profile edges on sub-unitsconnection parts obstruct the air flow near the interior surface whichcollects dust and particles and also produce difficulties for washingand cleaning of the inside of the unit.

[0011] Dust and particles are also collected inside the unit due todifferent thickness of middle profiles with panels and also due tounsmooth interior surface of the middle profiles. The collection of dustand particles inside the unit degrades hygiene of the unit.

[0012] Panels are connected to profiles by means of bolts and nuts. Theexistence of nuts inside the unit makes difficulties for setting of theAHU elements since elements can not be placed on nuts and they should beshifted to the positions where nuts do not exist so increasing the airhandling unit length.

[0013] The joining of the panels to the side or middle profile by boltsand nuts also makes difficulties during the casing assembly since itrequires two persons, one to hold the nut inside while the other oneshould turn the bolt outside the unit.

[0014] Condensation on the casing surface is another problem which isfrequently faced especially in the regions with high relative humidity.Condensation on the casing causes the rusting and corrosion of the skin.Although insulation in the panels decreases heat transfer between insideand outside of the unit, condensation generally occurs on the surface ofmiddle profile since it is not filled with insulation.

[0015] In recent years, works and developments on air handling unitcasings have been performed to eliminate problems described above,however, a modular construction in which welding is not employed has notbeen presented to remove or reduce the effect of the all describedproblems.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The main elements of the casing of the present invention arecorner pieces, side profiles, middle profiles, panels and doors,however, the present casing eliminates some problems mentioned above anddecreases the effect of the other ones.

[0017] Object of the present invention is to remove the side profileedges and obtain an air handling unit in which the interior heightbecomes equal to the serviceable height. Therefore, eliminating thenecessity of reduction of the unit elements height.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a casinghaving smooth and flat interior surfaces and so eliminating profileedges, nuts inside the unit and channels or projections even in the caseof the connection of two sub-unit sections.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to decrease thecondensation possibility on middle profile.

[0020] The casing of the air handling unit whose features are describedabove is mainly composed of panels, side profiles, middle profiles,corner pieces and doors.

[0021] Panels are made of an inner skin, an outer skin and an insulationmaterial in between. Panels can be fastened to each others parallelly orperpendicularly by use of middle or side profiles respectively.Sufficient number of plastic bushings, in which the screws are located,are provided around the circumference of the panels.

[0022] The side profiles provide the perpendicular connection of twopanels. They do not hold any edges. The panels and side profiles arejoined to each others by means of self-drilling screws, instead of thebolts and nuts. The screws are placed inside the plastic bushings andforced to drill the profiles in order to join panel to the side ormiddle profiles. The nuts are not used since the feature of the employedscrew is to open grooves in sheet while it drills.

[0023] The middle profile provides 180 degree panel connections. It canbe produced by formation of appropriate steel sheet strip or byemploying two skins like the structure of panels. The middle profile andpanels are fastened to each others by the same method described for sideprofile and panel connection. The thickness of the middle profile is thesame with panels and it has flat and smooth interior surface. The insideof the middle profile is filled with insulation material which increasesthe profile thermal resistance and reduces the condensation possibilityon the middle profile surfaces.

[0024] Both in perpendicular and parallel panel connection, a speciallyembodied rubber gasket is used to decrease air leakage due to pressuredifference between inside and outside of the casing. Two different lipson two different directions on the gasket increase the air leakageresistance both in the case of positive or negative pressure differencethat may occur between the unit and surroundings.

[0025] The corner pieces are employed to join side profiles on thecorners of the unit. They have three legs whose outer shapes anddimensions are designed such that allow them to be inserted into theside profiles.

[0026] The structure of the door is the same with panels, however thejoining of the door with middle or side profile is performed by means ofhinges and door handles. The door is fitted with hinges along one sidefor being mounted on middle or side profile. A door handle and a doorlock on the reverse side help to open or close thereof. The same rubbergasket is placed on middle or side profile for air tightness when thedoor is closed.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] The advantage of the structure of the present invention and itsauxiliary elements will become better understood from the given detailedfigures.

[0028]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the air handling unit casing.

[0029]FIG. 2 shows the details of the designed panel.

[0030]FIG. 3 shows the detail of the designed side profile.

[0031]FIG. 4 shows the detail of the alternative sample of the sideprofile.

[0032]FIG. 5 shows the detail of the designed middle profile.

[0033]FIG. 6 shows the detail of the alternative sample of middleprofile.

[0034]FIG. 7 shows the detail of the designed corner piece.

[0035]FIG. 8 shows the detail of side profile, middle profile, panel anddoor connection.

[0036]FIG. 9 shows the detail of the designed gasket.

[0037]FIG. 10 shows the detail of the designed plastic bushing.

REFERENCE NUMBERS OF ELEMENTS IN THE FIGURES

[0038] 1 Panel 2 Side profile 3 Middle profile 4 Corner piece 5 Door 6Panel inner skin 7 Panel outer skin 8 Insulation material 9 Self drilledscrew 10 Plastic bushing 11 Middle profile inner skin 12 Middle profileouter skin 13 Extruded middle profile 14 Extruded middle profile lids 15Door inner skin 16 Door outer skin 17 Door handle 18 Door hinges 19Gasket 20 Plastic bushing nail 21 Plastic bushing lid

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] The elements of the air handling unit casing are shown in FIG. 1.The main elements are panels (1) which can be joined side by side orperpendicularly, side profile (2) which provides perpendicular panelconnection, middle profile (3) which is employed to join panels side byside, corner pieces (4) which facilitate joining of the side profiles(2) on the corner of the unit and door (5) which is used to access tothe air handling unit elements e.g. in order to repair thereof.

[0040]FIG. 2 shows the detail of the designed panel (1) according to thepresent invention. The panel (1) is formed by an inner skin (6), outerskin (7) and insulation material (8) in between. The insulation materialmay be formed from two separate insulation sheets or the space betweeninner skin (6) and outer skin (7) may be filled with insulationmaterial. A step is provided around the circumference of the interiorside of the panel (1) by reduction of the panel thickness. Predeterminednumber of plastic bushings (10), in which the screws are located, aremounted in the thin part (1) around the panel (1) circumference.

[0041] The side profiles (2) are employed for the perpendicular panel(1) connections. It has not been furnished with edges. It can beembodied by forming of a steel sheet strip. The fastening of the sidesof the strip may be performed by welding or sewing as shown in FIGS. 3and 4 respectively. The joining position of the edges of the steel sheetstrip depends on the producer. The side profile (2) is embodied by twodifferent partitions located diagonally with respect to each other. Thewidth and height of the side profile (2) is same with panel (1) andmiddle profile (3), however, steps on two sides of the profile areprovided to mount panel (1) or middle profile (3).

[0042]FIG. 5 shows the detail of the middle profile (3). It is producedfrom an inner profile skin (11) and outer profile skin (12) andinsulation material (8) in between, like the structure of panel (1),however alternative manufacturing methods are also possible. As anexample, it can also be embodied by forming of a steel sheet strip. Thetop and bottom sides of the profile can be covered by lids (14) as it isshown in FIG. 6. The middle profile (3) thickness is the same with thepanels (1). Steps on two opposite directions around the circumference ofthe panel are provided. Lengthwise steps on which panels are fastenedare formed on the exterior side of the middle profile (3), howeverwidthwise steps which provide side profile connection are made oninterior middle profile side. The steps are embodied by reducing profilethickness. The middle profile (3) is filled with insulation material(8). Plastic bushings (10) are mounted on the top and bottom parts (3)in order to join middle profiles (3) to the side profiles (2).

[0043]FIG. 7 shows the details of a corner piece (4). It has three legsthat exterior surface shapes are same with the interior shape of theside profile (2). The legs are inserted into the side profile (2) andperform joining of three side profiles (2) on the corner of the unit. Itmay be produced from plastic or other convenient materials.

[0044] The detailed view of the air handling unit door can be seen fromFIG. 8. The structure of the door (5) is similar to the panel (1). Thedoor (5) is also formed from an inner skin (15), an outer skin (16) andan insulation (8) in between, however does not contain any plasticbushing. Hinges (18) are employed to connect the door (5) to middle orside profile (3). The door handle (17) is assembled on the door to openor close it.

[0045] The door handle (17) is assembled on the door to open or closeit. Hinges (18) are employed to connect the door (5) to the unit.

[0046]FIG. 9 shows the designed gasket (19) which is employed to preventair leakage between inside and outside of the unit. It holds two lips ontwo different directions in order to be effective on positive andnegative pressure differences between inside and outside. It is locatedon the contact surfaces between the side profiles, middle profiles andpanels as it can be seen from FIG. 8.

[0047] The plastic bushing (10) in the scope of the present invention isshown in FIG. 10. It is furnished with two elastic nails (11) which canmove in the direction of the bushing radius. The plastic bushing isinserted to the bushing hole which is made before in the panels. Thenails (10) are firstly pressed towards the center during the insertionand then expanded when they are fitted and fixed in the outer panel skin(7). The plastic bushing (10) provides a strong connection between screwand panel and also decreases the length of the screw since the screwhead is inserted up the end of bushing (10) as it is shown in FIG. 8.The top surface of the bushing (10) which appears on the exterior panelsurface is covered by a lid (21) to protect screw from corrosion andprovide aesthetic external view.

[0048] The unit can be easily embodied by employing structural elementsdescribed above. Firstly the frame of the unit is made by using the sideprofiles (2) and corner pieces (4). Each leg of the corner piece (4) isinserted to a side profiles (2). This provides the joining of the threeside profiles (2) on the corners of the unit. A frame can be constructedby the eight corner pieces (4) and twelve side profiles (2).

[0049] After the construction of the frame, the joining of the panel (1)and middle profiles (3) with the side profiles (2) are performed inorder to obtain an enclosure. The connection of the side profile (2)with panel (1) and middle profile (3) can easily be imagined from FIG.8. As it can be seen from this figure, the perpendicular connection ofthe panels (1) is performed by side profile (2). The step part of thepanel (1) is located on the side profile (2). A self-drilled screw (9)is inserted through the plastic bushing of the panel (1). It is forcedto drill the side profile (2) until the head of screw touches the end ofplastic bushing and a strong junction is achieved. The screw opengrooves in profiles (2) when drilling. It's tip remains inside of theprofile (2). The employing of this type screw eliminates the use of nutsin construction.

[0050] The side by side panel (1) joining is performed by middle profile(2). This connection can also be seen from the FIG. 8. The step of thepanel (1) is placed on the step of the middle profile (2). The methoddescribed for side profile (2) and panel (1) joining is also employed tofasten panel (1) to the middle profile (3). The screw (9) is insertedthrough the plastic bushing (10) of the panel (1), then it is forced todrill middle profile (3) to join panel (1) with middle profile (3).

[0051] The gasket (19) in the scope of the present invention is locatedbetween the panels (1), middle profile (3) and side profiles (2) toprevent air leakage between inside and outside of unit. The location ofthe used gasket (19) can be seen from FIG. 10. The flat surface of thegasket (19) is located on steps of the middle (3) or side profiles (2)and the gasket lips (19) are pressed by panels (1).

1. Pentapost type air handling unit casing comprising panels arrangedside by side and perpendicularly, and side profiles embodied between theperpendicular panels and middle profiles embodied between side by sidepanels characterized in that said side profiles (2) comprises at leasttwo joined preferably diagonal partitions having a predetermined heightand width and said middle profiles (3) having the same thickness withthe side panels are provided with steps on two opposite directionsaround circumference of the said middle profiles (3).
 2. Pentapost typeair handling unit casing according to claim 1, characterized in thatsaid steps of middle profile (3) comprise lengthwise steps on whichpanels are fastened are formed on the exterior side of the middleprofile (3) and widthwise steps providing side profile (2) connectionare formed on interior middle profile side.
 3. Pentapost type airhandling unit casing according to claim 1, characterized in that saidtwo partitions of the side profiles (2) are preferably embodieddiagonally with respect to each other.
 4. Pentapost type air handlingunit casing according to claim 1, characterized in that at the cornersof the said casing, corner pieces (4) are located for connecting saidside profiles (2).
 5. Pentapost type air handling unit casing accordingto claim 4, characterized in that said corner pieces (4) have preferablythree legs for housing associated side profile therein.
 6. Pentaposttype air handling unit casing according to claim 1, characterized inthat self-drilling screws (9) are embodied for providing connectionbetween the side profiles (2) to panels, and middle profiles (3) topanels.
 7. Pentapost type air handling unit casing according to claim 1and 6, characterized in that said self-drilling screws (9) are locatedinside plastic bushings (10) having a cylindrical embodiment andproviding connection between the panels and side, middle profiles. 8.Pentapost type air handling unit casing according to claim 7,characterized in that said bushing (10) is furnished with two elasticnails (11) movable in the direction of the bushing radius.
 9. Pentaposttype air handling unit casing according to claim 7, characterized inthat top surface of the bushing (10) appearing on exterior panel surfaceis covered by a lid (21) for protecting screw from corrosion and provideaesthetic view.
 10. Pentapost type air handling unit casing according toclaim 1, characterized in that said side profile (2) is preferably asteel strip while the middle profile is preferably two steel skins, aninsulation material therebetween or steel strip having bottom and toplids.
 11. Pentapost type air handling unit casing according to claim 1and 10, characterized in that said side profiles (2) are sewn orpreferably welded from lengthwise edges to each other.
 12. Pentaposttype air handling unit casing according to claim 1, characterized inthat rubber gaskets (19) having two different lips thereof forincreasing air leakage resistance in case of positive and negativepressure difference between the casing and surrounding are locatedbetween the panels and side (2), middle profiles (3).